It’s no secret that politics and money go hand-in-hand. Not just American politics, either. All politics.
From suitcases of cash to billion-dollar kickbacks, political corruption knows no borders.
These jaw-dropping bribes reshaped governments, toppled leaders, and exposed just how far some will go to buy power.
Here are some of the most notorious bribes in modern history — and what happened after the money changed hands.
The Tammany Hall Machine (U.S.)
Before bribes were digital and offshore, they were good old-fashioned envelopes passed under whiskey-soaked tables. Tammany Hall was the powerhouse behind New York’s Democratic Party in the 19th century — and it didn’t just tolerate bribery, it ran on it.
Under Boss Tweed, city contracts were ratcheted up, kickbacks were standard, and the courthouse cost $13 million — in 1870s money. Tweed was eventually jailed, but the machine rolled on, a symbol of how deeply American cities once ran on graft.
Lockheed Bribery Scandal (U.S.)
This wasn’t a few rogue lobbyists — it was the U.S. defense industry bribing foreign leaders to buy American-made planes. Japan’s Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka accepted $1.6 million. In the Netherlands, Prince Bernhard got caught. In Italy, officials pocketed stacks. It was global influence-peddling, sanctioned in suits and boardrooms.
Lockheed’s stock tanked, Congress investigated, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was born (though recently paused by Trump).
Rod Blagojevich and the Senate Seat for Sale (U.S.)
Blago didn’t whisper. He didn’t hint. He said it out loud: Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat was “golden” and he wasn’t giving it up “for nothing.” The Illinois governor was caught on wiretap trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder — campaign cash, cabinet spots, you name it.
He was arrested, impeached, and sentenced to 14 years. Trump would later commute his sentence, but the phrase “Blago-level corruption” lives on.
“Cash-for-Questions” Scandal (UK)
In the 1990s, British politics was rocked by the revelation that Members of Parliament were accepting cash to ask questions in the House of Commons. Lobbyist Mohamed Al-Fayed — yes, the Harrods guy — exposed the scheme, claiming he paid MPs to push his interests.
The scandal torched reputations, led to resignations, and gave the press a field day. It was old-school corruption in a powdered-wig democracy — discreet envelopes exchanged for public influence.
Operation Car Wash (Brazil)
This scandal soaked Brazil’s political elite. At its core: Petrobras, the state oil giant, and billions in kickbacks. Executives funneled money to politicians, including former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in exchange for rigged contracts. It was a full-blown corruption pipeline — and it took down dozens of lawmakers, tycoons, and party leaders.
Lula ended up jailed (though later released), but the stink of Car Wash still lingers over Brazil’s institutions.
Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines
While the Filipino people starved, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were stashing away billions — an estimated $5 to $10 billion siphoned from the nation’s coffers through bribes, shell companies, and straight-up theft. The couple used their loot to buy New York real estate, fund a shoe empire, and live in palace-like luxury.
When they were finally exiled in 1986, the world got a rare glimpse at the price tag of a dictator’s vanity.
Siemens Scandal (Germany)
The German engineering giant Siemens paid nearly $1.6 billion in fines after it was caught running an international slush fund — greasing palms in Nigeria, Argentina, Iraq, and beyond. For years, Siemens executives treated bribery like a line item in their budgets. This wasn’t one bad actor — it was systematic, sprawling corruption.
The fallout? Arrests, firings, and a complete overhaul of compliance. But it was also a masterclass in how corporations buy influence.
The Gupta Family and South Africa
The Guptas weren’t elected. They didn’t wear uniforms or campaign buttons. But they ran South Africa like a private fiefdom, using their close ties to President Jacob Zuma to win state contracts, appoint ministers, and siphon billions. Dubbed “state capture,” their grip on the government was so intense that commercial flights were once used to transport wedding guests on military airspace.
It would take years — as well as Zuma’s eventual resignation — to start untangling the web.
The Envelopes of Silvio Berlusconi
Italy’s former prime minister didn’t just collect scandals — he practically industrialized them. Among the worst: the bribery charges where he paid off judges, senators, and showgirls. Yes, really. Berlusconi was caught paying off a senator to flip parties and sabotage a rival coalition — a backroom deal straight out of a political crime novel.
While his convictions were often overturned or expired thanks to Italy’s statute of limitations, the pattern was clear: when Silvio couldn’t win with charm, he opened his wallet instead.
Viktor Yanukovych’s Golden Toilet (Ukraine)
When protesters stormed Yanukovych’s abandoned mansion in 2014, they didn’t just find lavish excess — they found evidence of outrageous corruption. Bribes poured into his pockets via fake companies and friendly oligarchs, funding a palace with a private zoo, vintage cars, and yes, a golden toilet. Billions vanished while Ukraine floundered.
His downfall sparked a revolution, but his greed — and Russian ties — helped set the stage for a brutal war still raging today.
